S. Billie Mandle

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When I photograph confessionals the churches are usually empty and dark but when I arrived at Holy Cross, the lights were on and several men were setting up musical instruments at the alter: a grand piano, guitars, horns and several African drums. They were practicing for a funeral that afternoon – a friend of theirs. I was embarrassed to intrude but set up my camera. The confessionals were very dark, as is often the case, and each exposure was around 15 minutes. Soon the musicians began to practice. The music was boisterous and joyful – like nothing I had ever heard at a funeral. It was difficult not to tap my feet while I waited. During these long exposures, while the large format camera stares into the dark, I like to imagine that the sheet of film is absorbing all the voices that have been left behind in the confessional. The darkest confessionals produce the most animated images – as if the voices create splashes of light as they seep into the film. This image from Holy Cross is the exception; it is silent and still. I like to imagine that all the voices had already left to join the music.